1979: Literary Master, Starting from the Return of Educated Youth

Chapter 161 Sister-in-law's Initiative
"You don't have to express your feelings."

Xu Yuexin shrugged and said, "Go to bed."

"Blood Ties" is a good movie, otherwise it would not have become such a hit after being introduced into China.

The problem is that there are too many films with similar themes in later generations. Although Xu Yuexin likes to watch them, he can never be moved to tears like his sister-in-law.

The sister-in-law didn't say anything. At this time, she already felt physically tired.

The TV show was so touching that she watched it for hours without realizing it.

……

Early the next morning, Xu Yuexin rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out of the bedroom, intending to go to the bathroom.

At this time, he saw that the TV in the living room had been turned on, and his sister-in-law was sitting on the sofa watching TV attentively.

Well, my sister-in-law is really obsessed with it.

Xu Yuexin went to the bathroom to flush the toilet, then returned to the second bedroom to take a nap.

When Xu Yuexin got up at noon, his sister-in-law was still watching "Blood Ties" without any suspense.

Seeing that his sister-in-law was so focused, Xu Yuexin did not disturb her but walked over and sat down beside her.

The plot on the screen continued, and the sister-in-law's beautiful eyes gradually became moist.

When the condition of the heroine played by Yamaguchi Momoe continued to worsen and the hero and heroine might face separation of life and death, the sister-in-law finally couldn't help but shed tears from the corners of her eyes.

Xu Yuexin hugged his sister-in-law's slender waist and put his shoulders next to her cheeks so that she could lean on them.

This time, the sister-in-law did not push Xu Yuexin away. Instead, she took the initiative to lean her face on his broad and strong shoulders.

Seeing his sister-in-law crying because of "Blood Ties", Xu Yuexin started to think.

Works with romance themes are really popular.

From "Lush Mountain Love" to "Blood Ties", which one did not become a popular hit?

If I could write a novel on a related subject, it would definitely sell well.

Xu Yuexin thought to himself.

At noon, Xu Yuexin and his sister-in-law went out to eat. After returning home, he started preparing for the new book.

Well, "Norwegian Wood" is pretty good.

But it had to be drastically changed because the original story took place in Japan in the late 60s and the social background was very different.

Xu Yuexin plans to extract the core of "Norwegian Wood" and create a new work.

The name doesn't need to be changed. The tone of the whole novel is quite damp and cold anyway, which fits the atmosphere of the Nordic forest very well.

Xu Yuexin thought for a while and finally decided to set the background in the Republic of China.

Because Xu Yuexin figured out a pattern, that is, the romantic dramas that were popular when he was a child, such as "Deep Love in the Rain" and "The Story of a Noble Family", all have their stories set in the Republic of China.

In times of war, the fate of individuals and families will be uncertain, and love at this time will appear particularly poignant and moving.

The male and female protagonists are both set as college students in the 20s. Due to the chaotic times and the involvement of their families, the tone of their lives is very depressing.

In college, the male protagonist met the girlfriend of his former friend.

After his best friend died of tuberculosis, the male protagonist continued to comfort the female protagonist who fell into depression, and the two gradually came together.

However, the tone of their love remained gloomy until the heroine was admitted to a mental hospital.

At this time, the hero met another heroine and continued to develop with her...

The story ends with the heroine committing suicide and the hero falling in love with another heroine.

After finalizing the plot, Xu Yuexin began to outline the novel.

Because the changes this time are so huge, I might not be able to grasp them without writing an outline.

After finishing writing the outline for a night, Xu Yuexin washed up and fell asleep.

The next morning, after getting up, he did not start writing the main text immediately, but went to Xicheng District to find his mother.

Because the content of the novel involves social life during the Republic of China period, it was necessary to interview the older generation who had experienced it in order to finalize some details.

After getting on the motorcycle, he first went to the Duke's Mansion to pick up some things he had bought in Hong Kong, and then continued to Xicheng District.

When Xu Yuexin arrived at his parents' residence, his mother Wu Yan was knitting with three aunts.

When they saw Xu Yuexin, the eyes of several old ladies lit up.

"This is your son. He's really tall."

"He's handsome, what a great guy."

"That's right. When do you plan to have a child?..."

The old ladies praised her highly, and Wu Yan felt proud but also humble.

"Hey, stop praising him. If you keep praising him, his tail will stick up to the sky..."

"Aunties, I brought some small things here, please feel free to ask."

Amid the praises from the old ladies, Xu Yuexin took out some chocolates, fruit candies and other things that he had purchased in Hong Kong before and distributed them to the old ladies.

The old ladies said they were sorry, but in fact they were all very happy.

At the same time, they also envied Wu Yan.

If the things you can just take out and spread out are so good, wouldn't the other things inside be even richer in content?
"Hey, it's such a good thing, you should keep it for yourself."

"That's right. Looking at the wrapping paper, it must be expensive..."

"Old Wu, your son has really made great progress. He came here with so many good things..."

The old ladies asked one after another, and Wu Yan also felt very proud.

These people are all her old colleagues, including section chiefs, directors and so on.

Two years ago, Xu Qiang was transferred to the Coking Group as a leader, and Wu Yan gained face in front of these old colleagues.

Today her son came to see her with so many good things, which made her proud again.

Everyone talked for a while amid laughter, and then the old ladies who needed to go back to cook went back to cook, or went to pick up their grandchildren, and left one after another.

After everyone left, Xu Yuexin began to explain the purpose of his visit, asking his mother about their past lives. Strictly speaking, Wu Yan had only experienced life in the 30s and had not personally experienced the 20s.

However, Xu Yuexin felt that his mother should have known something from his elders, that is, Xu Yuexin's grandparents, so he asked her.

"Mom, I want to write a novel about the 20s, and I want to ask you a few questions."

"For example, how much was a pound of white flour in the 20s?"

"What about the price of flour? I remember your grandparents told me that in a good year, it was about 7 cents a pound..."

……

Xu Yuexin asked questions one after another, and Wu Yan could sometimes give answers immediately, but sometimes she needed to recall.

This gave Xu Yue just enough time to set a new record.

Through communication with his mother, Xu Yuexin discovered that one characteristic of the Republic of China period was that prices fluctuated greatly.

Take flour for example. In a year of good harvest, it only costs seven cents a pound. But in years of poor harvest or disaster, the price can suddenly rise to twenty or thirty cents!
Correspondingly, life of ordinary people will become very difficult.

There was also the issue of employment for college students at that time.

Although there were few college students during the Republic of China period, life was not easy for highly educated people due to social unrest.

Sometimes you may be doing a good job, but the company is destroyed by artillery fire or robbed by lawless soldiers.

In the 20s, this was a common occurrence.

Xu Yuexin wrote down these contents one by one until it was almost time for lunch.

"Stay for dinner. Your dad will be back at noon."

"okay."

My father works in the group all year round, so I don’t see him very often.

Hearing that he was coming back for dinner, Xu Yuexin naturally wouldn't leave.

After the Q&A session, Wu Yan went to the kitchen to cook, while Xu Yuexin organized his notes in the living room.

Not long after, the half-closed door was pushed open from the outside, and Dad Xu Qiang came back.

"Hey, why are you here?"

Seeing Xu Yuexin, Xu Qiang was both surprised and happy. He walked up to him, sat down, put his hand on his shoulder and said.

"What, you're not welcome?"

"Of course you are welcome."

Xu Qiang said with a smile, "If I don't welcome you, who else can I welcome?"

Although he treated his children equally, Xu Qiang loved his second son the most.

Firstly, it was because Xu Yuexin encountered a special period when he was in elementary school.

In addition, Xu Qiang and his wife were sent to the countryside to do labor and were unable to teach him at home, resulting in Xu Yuexin not receiving a qualified education before going to college.

Before Xu Yuexin was admitted to university, Xu Qiang often felt distressed about this and privately made a plan to give Xu Yuexin extra lessons at home.

Of course, as Xu Yuexin was admitted to university, this plan was automatically canceled.

Secondly, it is natural that Xu Yuexin overcame the difficulties and achieved success.

When the city convened a meeting of cadres from party and government agencies and state-owned enterprises, those leaders who knew Xu Qiang's family situation all gave him a thumbs up and said that he had raised a good son.

Xu Qiang is also very proud of this. Whenever he mentions his son's achievements in front of his colleagues and superiors, he is always smiling.

"Thank you for your welcome, I welcome you next time you come to my house."

"I'll prepare two balloons for you, one with welcome written on it and the other with General Manager Xu Qiang written on it."

Xu Yuexin suppressed his laughter.

"Good boy, you want to talk nonsense to me, right?"

Xu Qiang was amused by him, "Okay, now that you said so, we must prepare balloons next time."

"Otherwise I'll have to ask you for an explanation."

"Okay, I'll do what I say."

Xu Yuexin and his father laughed.

He found that his father had become more optimistic and cheerful in the past two years, and was not as serious as before.

Yes, my father's seriousness and caution is largely caused by the times. Now that the country is developing better and better, and their unit is operating smoothly, his character has naturally changed gradually.

"By the way, Dad, I want to ask you something. What was it like for college students to fall in love during the Republic of China?"

Amidst laughter, Xu Yuexin asked his father a question.

My dad was a college student in 47, but his teacher was from the 20s, so he might understand the situation.

"Uh, why are you asking that?"

"I...I've never been in a relationship in college."

Xu Qiang's face turned red when he asked this question, and he stammered.

My dad had a problem when he was in college.

Xu Yuexin thought about it, of course he had no intention of digging into the matter.

After all, he came here today to accumulate materials and background knowledge for writing, not to explore his father's romance.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

At this time, Ms. Wu Yan came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stewed beef with potatoes.

"Nothing much, just chatting about my son's college life."

Xu Qiang quickly covered up.

"Hey, are you really talking about this?"

Wu Yan put the plate on the table, looked at her husband meaningfully and said, "Why did I hear someone talking about his love life in college?"

(End of this chapter)